U.S. Highway 66 (Route 66) was designated on November 11, 1926 by the Federal
Highway Commission as part of a new national interstate highway network. The
interstate highway system grew out of parallel movements, one seeking improved
roads for long-distance travel and the second desiring better roads to improve
rural economic conditions. An east-west route connecting Chicago to Los Angeles,
Route 66 included roughly 2,300 miles that passed through eight states and three
time zones. To connect Missouri and Oklahoma, Route 66 crossed a small corner
of southeastern Cherokee County, Kansas. Under 14 miles in length, the Kansas
segment of Route 66 is less than one-percent of the entire highway. Over the
years Route 66 developed a mythical stature. In The Grapes of Wrath, author
John Steinbeck chronicled the lives of people suffering the effects of the Great
Depression and the Dust Bowl who traveled Route 66 west to California in search
of a better life. From the hit song “Get Your Kicks on Route 66” to the eponymous
television show of the 1960s, popular culture heralded the road as a source
of freedom and adventure. The commercial architecture along the route reflected
popular styles and trends and Route 66 became the Main Street of America.

THE NATIONAL MOVEMENT FOR IMPROVED ROADS

The creation of Route 66 developed from dual influences in effect at the turn
of the 20th century. The first effort was a continuation of the Progressive
Movement that began in the late 19th century, advocating for improved economic
and social opportunities in rural areas. One particular concern was improving
farmer’s access to markets by constructing adequate roads in rural areas. The
second effort, known as the Good Roads movement, sought to upgrade roads to
make them safe and reliable for automobile travelers, in particular those traveling
long distances. Unlike horse-pulled wagons, cars and trucks required hard-surfaced
all-weather roads that were dependable year round. By the early 20th century
automobile enthusiasts nationwide lobbied for the construction of permanent
all-weather roads and the expansion of local, state and national highway systems1.

The first national vision for an improved highway system was realized when
President Woodrow Wilson enacted the Federal-Aid Road Act of 1916. As its name
implies, this legislation provided federal aid to the states for the construction
of roads. Based on a draft prepared by the recently formed American Association
of State Highway Officials (AASHO)2, this bill levied a gasoline tax to fund
road building across the country, proposing an appropriation of $75 million
over five years. The money would be distributed to the states using a formula
weighted to consider equally land area, population and miles of rural postal
delivery routes. The federal aid would equal 50 percent of construction costs,
not to exceed $10,000 per mile. The state highway agencies would recommend projects,
but the final determination for funding fell to the Secretary of Agriculture
3. The bill also required that each state establish a highway agency staffed
with engineering professionals to oversee the federal-aid projects4. Significantly,
the legislation bridged the differences between the progressive factions, who
sought to enhance economic opportunities in rural America by improving local
roads, and the long-distance roads advocates, who urged the construction of
a network of interstate and transcontinental roads5.

Initiation of the 1916 road act got off to a slow start. America’s entry into
World War I the following year placed a strain on federal finances as well as
road-building materials and personnel. However, cross-country military shipments
during the war exacerbated the already poor condition of existing roads and
emphasized the need for a national system of improved highways.

When the 1916 road bill expired, the Federal Highway Act of 1921 created a
system of federal-aid highways that would incorporate up to three-sevenths of
the existing state highway system into a network of interstate roads. This act
again bridged the interests between farm-to-market proponents and long-distance
advocates. Up to 60 percent of each state’s available federal-aid funds could
be used to finance improvements to the interstate roads. By November of 1923,
working with the state highway departments, the Bureau of Public Roads had designated
a federal-aid highway network that included 5.9 percent of all public roads
in the United States6.

The Federal Highway Act of 1921 ushered in the golden era of road building
in the United States. In 1922, the states spent $189 million to build over 10,000
miles of federal-aid roads. This more than tripled the number of road-miles
improved since 1916. Typical projects produced graded-earth, sand-clay or gravel
road surfaces7.

In 1924 the Department of Agriculture appointed five representatives from state
highway commissions across the country to a special Joint Board of Interstate
Highways. The Joint Board was charged with naming specific routes and developing
insignias for the federal highways. From their pool of federal-aid roads, the
commission asked each state to recommend the existing routes most suitable for
designation as interstate highways8. Segments of existing roads were cobbled
together to create the new federal interstate system. At the time of designation,
some of these roads were improved and others were not. The panel also developed
the now-ubiquitous shield-shaped signage to help travelers reach their destinations,
as well as the system designating federal highways as numbered, rather than
named, roads. East-west routes received even numbers and north-south routes
received odd numbers, creating an axial system that began in the south and west.
The numerals “0” and “5” were assigned to major highways9.

By the late 1930s nearly all rural roads had received some initial improvements,
although not all were paved, and AASHO was looking toward the next phase of
national road improvements. The next major plan presented to congress was the
Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1944. This legislation laid much of the groundwork
for the current interstate highway system. It identified an extensive highway
network that connected the nation’s major metropolitan areas, cities and industrial
facilities10.

The “National System of Interstate and Defense Highways” finally came in to
being with the passage of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. This bill authorized
$25 billion in funding through fiscal year 1969 for an interstate highway system
roughly equivalent to that proposed a decade earlier. The federal government
would pay 90 percent of project costs. AASHO was charged with developing minimum
standards that would produce uniform road designs, including the elimination
of at-grade railroad crossings throughout the interstate network. Access to
the highways would be limited to interchanges specified in the original plans
or subsequently approved by the Secretary of Commerce. Unlike many of the turnpikes
already built, no service stations or other commercial establishments were permitted
within the right-of-way11. The federal highway system developed in the 1920s had
relied largely on existing roads, which typically lacked continuity in either
design or condition. By contrast, the design standards imposed on the new interstate
highway system resulted almost entirely on the acquisition of new right-of-way
and the construction of new road. The older federal highways were reduced to
back roads that continued to service the local population, while long-distance
haulers and travelers utilized the four-lane expressways to reach their destinations.

Recognizing the potential economic benefits, cities across the country lobbied
hard to have a federal highway pass through their community. The initial concept
developed by the Federal Highway Commission’s Joint Board for a route from Chicago
to southern California followed a course through Missouri, Kansas, Colorado,
Utah and Nevada. One member of the Joint Board was a businessman from Tulsa,
Oklahoma named Cyrus Avery. Avery was a member of the Oklahoma Highway Commission
and a long-time Good Roads advocate. Avery promoted an alternate route for this
particular interstate that would follow a more southerly route through Oklahoma,
Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. He contended that this alignment would avoid
heavy snows in the Rocky Mountains as well as the long stretches of desert through
Nevada. The flatter terrain, he also argued, would make road-building more cost-effective.
Avery hoped this route would be designated US Highway 60. Because the road started
in Chicago instead of the East Coast the round number was not available, and
it received the designation “66” instead.

Following the passage of the 1956 road bill, work began on a bypass of Route
66. Interstate 44 (I-44) crossed Missouri from St. Louis to Joplin roughly paralleling
the route of US 66. In 1961, the southern section of I-44 was completed. It
extended from Joplin to the Will Rogers Turnpike in Oklahoma, bypassing Kansas
completely.

ROAD BUILDING IN KANSAS

The Kansas road system was historically rooted in local needs and desires.
In the 1860s, the territorial legislature established a system whereby counties
designed, built and funded all of their highways and bridges. There was also
a limited network of territorial highways, those that crossed multiple jurisdictions.
Local road officials drafted adult males to assist in road building, which essentially
included removing trees and tall stumps, staking the alignment and providing
directional signage at intersections. By the turn of the 20th century, the state
legislature had approved general tax levies and the creation of special benefit
districts, wherein a tax was levied on adjacent property owners to fund road
construction. To qualify the Board of County Commissioners had to declare a
road thus improved a “public utility.” Overall, the development of roads remained
at the discretion of local officials.

Responding to the increased use of the automobile, in 1907 the Kansas legislature
directed county and township boards to regularly drag certain roads to create
a smooth driving surface. In 1909 the legislature further directed the local
boards to designate certain roads as “drag roads,” based on grade and travel
volume13. Larger counties (those with populations exceeding 20,000) received permission
to hire a County Engineer, who would supervise all county road and bridgework
and who would coordinate efforts among the local boards regarding the township
roads. The counties could also seek the services of the State Engineer of Roads
and Highways when in need of additional professional assistance14. This was the
first acknowledgement that a unified approach to road design and construction
might be of benefit to the state15.

The demand for good roads, by farmers, industrialists and recreational users,
coupled with the availability of federal-aid funds to construct modern roads
led to a great expansion of the Kansas road network between 1917 and 1930. Local
entities were generally satisfied with the decentralized system that had built
Kansas roads for 60 years, but the federal government, in its quest for a cohesive
national highway network, imposed compliance with federal regulations in exchange
for receiving federal money. This included establishment of a state highway
agency to oversee road building activities16.

The Kansas legislature established the first State Highway Commission in 1917
in response to the Federal-Aid Road Act of 1916. The Commission staff included
engineers, administrative staff, and a chief engineer, who held the title of
State Highway Engineer17. The Commission included three members whose role was
largely to establish road building standards and to serve as a clearinghouse
for the federally-funded projects. The Highway Commission directed the county
engineers to designate between 10 and 15 percent of their most highly traveled
roads as “county roads.” All remaining roads were “township roads.” The match
for the federal aid was provided by the county (50 percent), the township(s)
(25 percent), and the benefit district(s) (25 percent)18. The benefit district
law continued to finance most road construction in Kansas until 1926.

While this arrangement met the needs and desires of the state and the counties
to maintain the existing decentralized system of road building, it did not satisfy
the federal requirements, which intended the state, not the counties, to be
in charge19. To meet the letter of the law, the State Highway Commission first
set about designating “state roads” that would be eligible for federal funds
and determining the number of miles in the state system, which the State Highway
Engineer would supervise. The Highway Commission held a series of public meetings
around the state to gather input. However, because Kansans continued to regard
road building as a county function turnout was low. The State Highway Engineer
gained more power than the local officials realized, including the authority
to review and approve road improvement plans, to develop regulations for road
construction, and to inspect locally built roads20. With a state highway department
in place Kansas would now be enable the use federal aid. However, entry in to
World War I reduced the availability of man power and construction materials,
and road building languished.

After World War I popular opinion held that road building was too costly. Kansans
favored road building as long as the federal government assumed most of the
cost. During the 1919 legislative session the Good Roads groups and the state
highway commission led an effort to amend the state constitution so that the
State, rather than the counties, would finance and direct road building activities.
The amendment was sent to the general population for approval in 1920. Outside
interests, such as the B.F. Goodrich Rubber Company and the Sinclair Refining
Company, joined in-state groups, including the State Association of County Commissioners,
the State Chamber of Commerce, the Kansas Editorial Association, the Kansas
Bankers Association, the Kansas Board of Agriculture and the Good Roads organizations
in support of the amendment21. Governor Henry J. Allen, a Good Roads advocate,
voiced his support as well. Kansas voters approved the amendment on November
20, 1920, enabling the creation of a centralized state highway system in Kansas22.

With the victory at hand, the next issue was providing the state highway department
with the funds to build roads. The 1916 federal aid was set to expire in 1921,
and nationally there was pressure to replace the federal aid system with a federally
administered road building program. Ultimately, the Federal Highway Act of 1921
reaffirmed the principles of the 1916 law23. However, because the new legislation
required that state aid equal the amount of federal aid and that the states
fund road maintenance, Governor Allen was concerned that once again the Kansas
highway program would not qualify when the state legislature failed to appropriate
funds to finance the voter-approved state highway system in 192124.

As early as 1919 the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads threatened to withhold federal
aid from Kansas until the state highway department could provide adequate engineering
supervision on federal-aid projects25. The Kansas legislature continued to be
reluctant to establish a centralized road construction program, preferring to
leave the design, construction and financing in the hands of local officials.
A new governor, Jonathan M. Davis, a populist Democrat elected in 1923, favored
the long-standing decentralized road system. The legislature followed Davis’
lead, and further efforts to bring the Kansas state highway organization into
compliance with federal law failed26.

Two years later, Ben S. Paulen, a Republican, succeeded Davis as Governor. The
oversight and construction of roads had deteriorated significantly during the
previous two years, and Governor Paulen turned attention back to the road situation.
A state road bill in 1925 established an independent state highway commission,
a state road system not to exceed 8,690 miles, a state highway fund, and a county
and state fund for road maintenance and construction. The legislation also levied
a two-cent per gallon motor fuel tax to fund road construction in the state.
The Legislature again passed the measure but neglected to approve the necessary
funding27.

The absence of state funding for the highway department threatened the ability
of the state to supervise the $2 million in federal-aid roadwork currently underway
in the state. Because federal legislation mandated state oversight, the federal
government temporarily suspended all road-building aid to Kansas, leaving the
state with the burden of paying for road improvements already in progress. Governor
Paulen invited representatives from the Bureau of Public Roads to Kansas to
review the situation and to offer recommendations for improvements to the state
highway department that would be meet the federal criteria. The BPR report recommended
that the state highway department could function adequately with a staff of
45 and an annual budget of $137,300. This was roughly $88,000 more per year
than currently allocated, but compliance with these conditions would enable
the state to leverage over $2 million per year in federal highway aid. When
the legislature met later that spring it approved the requested budget, and
federal aid was again released to Kansas on August 1, 192528. The following year
it was estimated that the state had access to roughly $6 million for road improvements,
including federal aid, state aid and dollars from the county and state road
funds.

Funded by federal aid and the old system of benefit districts, which were active
in 47 eastern counties, the 1920s were the prime years of road building in Kansas29.
Through the end of 1925, federal and state authorities had supervised the construction
of 460 miles of concrete roads, 350 miles of earth roads, 285 miles of gravel
roads, 130 miles of brick roads and 60 miles of macadam roads for a total cost
of nearly $39 million. Of this amount $16 million was federal funds. In 1928,
over 124,000 miles of public roads crossed Kansas. Of those miles, the State
Highway Engineer listed 8,690 as federal-aid roads and an equal amount as state
roads. A decade later Kansas had over 130,000 miles of roads30. That figure included
nearly 9,000 miles of improved roads, roughly the same figure under State maintenance31.

Following the Great Depression, the State Highway Commission continued to build
roads at a vigorous pace. In 1936 the state received about $675, 000 in federal
funds for the construction of secondary state and county roads. The start of
World War II curtailed the road building momentum, as Highway Department personnel
joined the military or other war-time activities and construction materials
were in short supply. The staff of the highway construction division alone dropped
from 437 full and part-time workers in June 1940 to 49 employees in June 1944.
The limited road construction that did occur during this period focused on projects
that connected defense operations (military bases and war plants) to the state
highway system or maintained existing roadway32.

When the war was over, the legislature reexamined state highway needs and developed
a long-range program for building highways. By the end of the decade, a plan
was put forward to finance new and improved roads. It included raising the gasoline
tax to five cents per gallon and raising motor vehicle license fees, which had
been reduced during the Depression, to a level consistent with fees in other
states. Early in the 1950s the legislature also set up a turnpike authority.
The authority could issue bonds and build a turnpike, without using state funds,
should such a plan prove feasible. The legislature also approved a controlled
access law, which enabled the State Highway Commission to limit the number of
access points entering a highway. This legislation came none too soon. The federal-aid
acts of 1954 and 1956 limited the use of federal highway dollars to roads with
controlled access33.

The 9,531 miles of all-weather state highways crossing Kansas in 1956 included
702 miles of interstate and roughly 8,800 miles of federal-aid roads. The state
highway commission estimated that an additional 20,000 miles of country roads
were also eligible for federally-funded improvements34.

Hard Surfaced Roads in Cherokee County
Hard surfaced roads came relatively early to Cherokee County compared with other
areas of Kansas. During the last quarter of the 19th century lead and zinc deposits
were discovered in Cherokee County as well as the adjacent counties in Missouri
and Oklahoma. By the turn of the 20th century, the ore had brought wealth to
the area, which included two bustling communities, Galena at the Missouri State
line and Baxter Springs just north of the Oklahoma state line. In discussing
the physical advantages of the county, a 1904 county history mentions the “good-roads
spirit” supporting the improvement of public roads. By this time the city of
Galena, “always forward in matters of this kind,” had improved several roads
using the waste “chat” from the local mines as a macadam-like surface. The author
notes, if properly applied “…it forms a solid cement-like surface which will
endure of a score of years.” He notes that there were many miles of macadamized
roads in the vicinity of Galena and Baxter Springs. “Besides affording easy
transit for the people … these roads give the country an appearance of tidiness
much above what was formerly seen.”35 Chat was exported to surrounding communities,
including the county seat in Columbus, and there was the expectation that all
the primary roads in the county would be hard-surfaced within a decade. Both
the farmers and the industrialists favored the road improvements.

In the July 1920 issue of Kansas Highways, C.M. Cooper, Cherokee County Engineer
reported that he was working to establish a standard 24-foot crown on all county
roads. Money was also allocated for grading roads and improving culverts. When
a grade was deemed satisfactory, the roads were hard-surfaced with chat. Cooper
estimated that 18 new miles of hard-surfaced roads had been added to the existing
25 miles that year. Approximately $24,500 had been spent on new surfacing and
$10,000 on maintaining existing surfaced roads. A 1923 county history boasted
of the fine paved streets and other modern infrastructure in the Galena vicinity36.
This was the height of the mining boom in the Tri-State District, and as a result
the mining communities in southeastern Cherokee County experienced a period
of prosperity that enabled substantial infrastructure improvements37. Even into
the 1950s the region shipped three to five million tons of chat annually for
use in railroad ballast, concrete production and asphalt aggregate.

_____________________________________

13W.V. Buck, “Kansas Highway
Development and Road Legislation,” in The History of Kansas State and People,
ed. William E. Connelley, (Chicago: American Historical Society, Inc. 1928)
976.14The State Engineer was an engineer on the faculty at the Kansas
State Agricultural College (now Kansas State University). 15Buck, 977.16Rowland, 32.17Buck, 978-9.18Ibid., 979.19Rowland, 37.20Ibid.21Ibid., 39.22Ibid., 37.23 Ibid., 42.24Ibid., 40.25Ibid., 43.26Ibid. 27Ibid. 28Buck, 983.29[Kansas Highway Commission], “Kansas Highway History and General
Facts on Organization and Operation,” (March 1956), on file at the Archives
of the Kansas State Historical Society, 2.30Buck, 984.31Federal Writers’ Project of the Work Projects Administration, The
WPA Guide to 1930s Kansas, with an introduction by James R. Shortridge, ([n.p.]:
Kansas Department of Education, 1939; reprint, Lawrence, Kansas: University
of Kansas Press, 1984), 85.32[Kansas Highway Commission], 10.33Ibid., 11.34Ibid.,7.35Nathaniel Thompson Allison, ed and comp, History of Cherokee County,
Kansas, (Chicago: Biographical Publishing Company, 1904) 111. 36C.M. Cooper, “Cherokee, “Kansas Highways, (July 1920) 34. 37Galena Weekly Republican, “History of Cherokee County: The Galena
Smelter,” (23 June 1923).

ROUTE 66 IN KANSAS

Like many of the new federal highways, Route 66 followed a previously existing
alignment through Kansas. From the Missouri state line about one mile east of
Galena, it entered the state heading northwest. After passing the Eagle-Picher
Smelter, one of the largest lead smelters in the United States, the road turned
south on Main Street, passing through the Galena business district. At 7th Street,
Route 66 turned west again. The road continued west through the Quaker community
of Riverton. Beyond Riverton, Route 66 curved south at the Brush Creek Bridge
to Baxter Junction. In Baxter Junction the road turned east and then south on
the old military road. Route 66 followed Military Avenue south to the Oklahoma
state line with a small S-curve south of downtown.

The road between Galena and Riverton began as a cowpath. Around 1910 a bridge
was constructed across the Spring River38. This occurred shortly after the Empire
District Electric Company dammed Shoal Creek just south of its confluence with
the Spring River and constructed the hydroelectric plant at Riverton. The facility
generated enough electricity to illuminate 80 communities as well as mining
operations throughout the surrounding tri-state area. The dam created the recreational
Lake Lowell. Like the lake, the nearby Spring River Inn and a country club constructed
on the grounds of the electric plant north of Lake Lowell catered to wealthy
patrons from Galena39. During this period an electric interurban railroad, the
Southwest Missouri, linked Carthage, Missouri to Baxter Springs and Miami, Oklahoma
to Joplin, Missouri. The public transit system transported workers from their
homes to jobs in the multitude of mines, mills and other industrial facilities,
such as the Eagle-Picher Smelter and the Empire District Hydroelectric Plant,
throughout this corridor40.

Improvements along the future Route 66 were made in 1922 and 192341. In 1923
a group of Galena businessmen financed the paving of the road to Riverton, probably
through a special benefit district. It was at this time that the viaduct and
other structures through the mining district east of Galena were installed,
as well as the Marsh Arch bridges east and west of Riverton. An article reporting
the construction of a service station on the Brush Creek “Rainbow Curve” in
January 1928 referred to Route 66 as the “Galena-Baxter Springs concrete road”
suggesting that the route was fully paved by this date42.

Improvements to Route 66 in Kansas
As cars became faster, highway engineers advocated straightening, widening and
bypassing older sections of highways, including Route 66. During the 1930s roads
were designed for travel speeds of 50 miles per hour (mph). By the 1950s design
speeds of 70 mph required greater sight distance and softer curves to maintain
safety standards. Roads originally constructed 18 to 20 feet wide, were increased
to 22 to 24 feet when paved, and by the 1950s paved surfaces were often 32 feet
wide. Extant sections of historic Route 66 in Kansas measure approximately 25
feet wide. Other changes in standard road design included softening the slope
of roadside ditches to improve safety and increasing the thickness of the pavement
to accommodate the additional wear imposed by increased heavy truck traffic.
Similarly, prior to 1930 the standard dimension for vehicular bridge width was
20 feet. Around 1930 that dimension increased to 24 feet, and after World War
II it increased again to 26 to 28 feet. This often necessitated the replacement
of older bridges or the construction of a parallel structure to safely carry
traffic.

Complying with the 1956 federal interstate plan, future highway expenditures
focused on the construction of new four-lane, limited-access roads. The end
of the Route 66 era in Kansas arrived in 1961 with the completion of Interstate
44. The new, modern highway connected Joplin, Missouri to the Will Rogers Turnpike
in Oklahoma, by-passing Kansas completely. As happened across the country, the
completion of Interstate 44 drained many long-distance travelers, both recreational
and commercial, from the local road. This reduced the volume of traffic traveling
the old highway and led to the demise of many existing tourist facilities.

However, the old road continued to serve the local population, and during the
early 1960s, it received a series of improvements.
• A bypass removed traffic from downtown Galena and from the old road serving
the industrial facilities east of town. The “new” US 66 follows old US 166 east
along 7th Street, becoming a four-lane divided highway between Galena and Joplin.
• A second barrel was added to Route 66 between Galena and Riverton, widening
this stretch of road to four lanes and separating the directional traffic with
a grassy median. This addition included the construction of a two-lane concrete
girder bridge across the Spring River adjacent to the historic Marsh Arch Bridge
originally located just east of Riverton. The historic bridge was demolished
in the early 1980s and replaced by the present two-lane concrete girder span.
• A second bypass connected Riverton and Baxter Springs. It begins at the junction
of US 69/166/400 and US 66 just west of Riverton. Rather than follow the old
road west to the Brush Creek curve, the bypass makes a gentle arcing curve southwest
to join Military Avenue at 3rd Street in Baxter Springs. While this alignment
is designed for four lanes, only two lanes have been built to date.
• Finally, in Baxter Springs, the S-curve at the south end of town was by passed
by a new section that follows a wide, smooth curve. A McDonalds and a Wal-Mart
were built on the vacant land between the old and new roads in the 1980s.

The final change to old Route 66 in Kansas occurred in 1992 when the construction
of a softer curve bypassed the Rainbow Bridge at the Brush Creek curve a second
time. After a hard fight by the Kansas Route 66 Association, County officials
agreed to leave the Brush Creek Bridge standing as a historic landmark. Travelers
can see the bridge in its historic setting from the bypass and can choose to
drive across the bridge, which is now limited to south-bound traffic only.

Accompanying the era of the automobile was a surge in new commercial development
that catered specifically to cars and their passengers. Road-related establishments
included sales offices for new and used automobiles; gas and service stations
to keep the cars running; restaurants, tourist courts and motels to service
travelers; and various stands and shops that offered diversions. For long-distance
travelers, such as those following Route 66, the most important commercial resources
were gas, food and lodging.

At the start of the Route 66 era the communities along Route 66 in Kansas had
booming economies that already supported a variety of gas stations and restaurants.
The change in the number of tourist courts and motels during the period of significance
most directly reflects the commercial impacts of the road on this area. The
Baxter Springs Sanborn Map shows that the Sunbeam Tourist Camp was built at
the southwest corner of Willow and 2nd Street in Baxter Junction before 1930.
This camp included 11 cabins, 10 with attached carports, a central lavatory
and an office. To further meet the needs of travelers this intersection also
had three filling stations and one auto repair shop. By 1942 another tourist
court had joined the tourist milieu in Baxter Junction. This court included
an L-shaped band of six attached cabins, separated by carports. The owner’s
dwelling was also located on the property. Also before 1930, the Sanborn map
for Galena shows the development of the Camp Joy tourist camp between Galena
and Riverton. This complex included a filling station plus five cabins with
electric lights and stove heat all arranged in a row fronting Route 66. There
was another small row of cabins in Riverton, on the south side of Route 66 west
of Military Road. These cabins are no longer extant by 1945, possibly a victim
of World War II. A final cabin court was located on the S-curve south of Baxter
Springs near Murphey’s diner, a 24-hour establishment, and a service station.
After World War II, the Capistrano Motel also provided lodging at 22nd and Military
Avenue in Baxter Springs. Another tourist amenity were the several rock shops
that sold mineral samples to tourists passing through the area. One was located
just west of Galena and another was located in Baxter Junction.

As mining declined in the region, older commercial buildings were replaced
by modern facilities that would serve Route 66 travelers. In 1933 the Galena
newspaper reported that the old Banks Hotel at the north end of town was demolished
for the construction of a new filling station. The article stated, “Motorists
will look upon the removal of the building favorably since it obstructed the
view of motorists traveling on the highway in either direction…. The new project
will leave a clear view at the curve, lessening the hazards to motorists.”

Because the Kansas segment of Route 66 was so short, local residents did not
perceive the national significance of the designation. According to Wanda Murphey,
who operated Murphey’s Café in Baxter Springs from 1940 through 1976,
most of the businesses catered primarily to a local clientele, although she
recalled that truckers made up a notable percentage of her customers. The road
was a means to an end – it enabled truckers to haul ore from the mines to the
mills and processing facilities; it enabled workers to reach their jobs throughout
the region; and it provided area residents with access to regional markets.

However, Route 66 did have direct economic impacts on the area. In addition
to the proliferation of tourist amenities, the interstate highway attracted
five national trucking lines that operated facilities in Baxter Springs after
World War II. One of those, Yellow Freight, arrived in 1932. At its peak, in
the late 1950s Yellow Freight employed about 150 workers and moved about 140
trucks a day through the Baxter Springs hub. This was the company’s division
point and maintenance facility for an eight state region. In the mid-1950s Baxter
Springs could also boast about the number of manufacturing concerns in town
that produced products ranging from clothing to precision tools. The high quality
of the roads and widespread automobile ownership were cited by the Chamber of
Commerce in 1955 as an asset to local industry.

While the impact of its designation was slow and cumulative, the effect was
more noticeable when Interstate 44 bypassed Route 66. It became more difficult
to sustain the existing number of automobile service facilities and restaurants;
although the strong local customer base helped many businesses survive. Significantly,
none of the tourist courts or motels constructed to serve Route 66 travelers
remains extant; only one small set of cabins has not been demolished. These
are currently used for storage.

Local residents who have lived and worked along Route 66 felt that the popularity
of Route 66 was inspired by the stories presented in popular culture that spun
interesting tales about people, places and events along the road. Travelers
came in search of the myths and were often disappointed when the journey did
not live up to their expectations.

PROPERTY TYPES

A variety of property types survive that have direct associations with the
automobile culture of Route 66. Many of these resources responded to federally-funded
road improvements made during the early 1920s and predate the Route 66 designation.
They include elements of the road itself, as well as commercial businesses developed
to serve travelers.

THE ROADWAY INFRASTRUCTURE OF ROUTE 66 IN KANSAS

The most intrinsic resources significant under this MPDF are those related
to the physical road itself, including the roadbed, culverts, and bridges. The
prosperous economy of Cherokee County at the turn of the 20th century yielded
a higher than usual proportion of improved local roads than were found in other
parts of the state. Following the passage of the 1921 Federal-Aid Highway Act,
the alignment that became Route 66 was further improved with the construction
of new bridges and culverts. A variety of these resources are extant.

Roadbed
All 13.2 miles of the historic Route 66 roadbed designated in Kansas are extant
and remain drivable, although modern bypasses carry the majority of traffic
around some of the older segments. A 1920 report by the County Engineer discussed
on-going efforts to improve all county roads to a standard 24-foot width. The
road had little or no soft shoulder on either side. Beyond the shoulder, the
ground sloped steeply away from the road creating shallow drainage ditches.
As early as 1904 the roads in Cherokee County were paved with excess chat produced
by the many area mines. Asphalt now covers the original concrete road beds.

Register eligible segments of roadway will be those that retain integrity of
location, design, materials, setting, feeling and association. These sections,
such as the 1.2 miles between downtown Galena and the Missouri state line, have
been substantially unimproved since the 1920s. Integrity of the historic setting
is critical. For instance, the segment west of US 166 and north of Baxter Springs
continues to be rural in character with occasional houses, farmsteads, and meadows
interrupting the wooded canopy flanking the road.

Bridges
The Kansas segment of Route 66 crosses two historic bridges. The first and largest
is the viaduct east of Galena, a concrete-encased steel girder structure, constructed
circa 1923, that carries the road over the tracks of the Missouri Kansas and
Texas Railroad. This bridge was built through the Federal-aid road improvement
program prior to the designation of Route 66. It served an important function
by safely transporting workers and goods over the railroad to the Eagle-Picher
Smelter as well as the numerous nearby mines. This bridge retains a high degree
of integrity in the areas of design, materials, workmanship, location, setting,
feeling and association and is being nominated to the National Register as part
of the Kansas Route 66 Historic District, East of Galena in conjunction with
this MPDF.

The second extant historic bridge is the Rainbow Arch Bridge that crosses Brush
Creek west of Riverton. This was one of two concrete Marsh Arch Rainbow bridges
originally constructed along this route. The other, spanning Spring River east
of Riverton, was demolished in 1991. The Brush Creek Bridge was listed on the
National Register in 1983 in conjunction with the MPS for Rainbow Arch (Marsh
Arch) Bridges of Kansas. It is believed to be the only bridge of its type remaining
along the entire length of Route 66.

Culverts
Route 66 includes a number of historic culverts from the early 1920s road building
period. These simple, poured concrete structures are found along the stretch
of road east of Galena and on the segment between the Brush Creek curve and
Baxter Junction. Their original design featured one or two-bay railings across
the top. The majority of culverts have lost their superstructures in collisions
with vehicles. Where the railings are missing, the anchor points remain visible.

To be eligible for listing on the National Register a culvert must retain the
physical features that identify it as a historic roadway structure. Integrity
in the areas of design, materials, workmanship, location, setting, feeling and
association are necessary. Where the absence of original railings weakens integrity
of design, these culverts may still be register eligible in some circumstances,
such as the roadway district being nominated east of Galena. This nomination
includes a section of historic road bed and a bridge in addition to seven culverts.
While only a few of the nominated culverts retain their railings, the concentration
of road structures contributes to the cultural landscape of the road and they
remain significant elements of the historic district. If railings were part
of the original design, a culvert should retain at least one railing in order
to be considered individually register-eligible.

THE COMMERCIAL ARCHITECTURE OF ROUTE 66 IN KANSAS

In addition to public infrastructure, Route 66 generated commercial architecture
that served the traveling public. The commercial property types associated with
Route 66 in Kansas include gas stations, restaurants, lodging, and other roadside
businesses.

The architecture associated with Route 66 commercial properties is typically
vernacular in design. The most common building materials were brick, stone,
and concrete applied to one and two-part commercial block building forms as
well as to functional property types, discussed below. The buildings that most
clearly depict a specific architectural style were generally corporate designs
applied to resources on a national scale, such as gas stations affiliated with
a particular brand.

One popular motif, applied to a variety of simple commercial buildings along
Route 66 in Kansas, was a local vernacular known as Ozark Giraffe. Drawing on
the abundance of limestone and ironstone in the vicinity, these buildings feature
a slab-rock veneer that is a variation and modernization of older, cobblestone
structures. By the 1930s, agricultural extension bulletins illustrated this
construction technique and popularized it throughout the Ozark region for residential,
as well as small commercial designs.

The design feature that most distinguished road-related businesses from those
of previous eras was the integration of a curb cut, driveway or off-street parking.
Often developed on the perimeter of traditional downtown commercial districts,
these buildings were designed specifically to accommodate customers arriving
by automobile. The presence of a curb cut of parking area will be a significant
factor in determining the register eligibility of resources associated with
Route 66.

Gas Stations
The number and designs of auto service stations evolved as the number of cars
traveling the roads increased. The earliest buildings designed specifically
as filling stations were simple vernacular structures that featured an attached
canopy to shelter drivers and station attendants projecting from the front of
a small office building. These stations were found in both the small communities
and larger towns along Route 66 in Kansas. Of the structures that remain, none
retain their original canopies, due in part to the increased width of the public
right-of-way and the hazards created by faster driving speeds and larger vehicles.

As the number of cars increased so did the number of filling and service stations.
The second generation of gas stations was designed to convey a sense of familiar
surroundings to attract auto travelers. By the late 1920s, gas stations often
resembled small houses with Colonial, Craftsman, Tudor or Mission styling. In
contrast with the newness of the automobile technology, the architecture of
the gas station was homey and traditional. Large gasoline companies in particular
adopted the cottage motif as corporate iconography as they sought to develop
brand recognition and loyalty. For instance, Phillips Petroleum hoped that the
Tudor design and recognizable color palette of their stations would provide
local residents as well as travelers with a sense of comfort that they were
purchasing gasoline from a known entity.

While many early filling stations provided only gasoline, by the 1930s stations
needed to offer vehicle maintenance and service to remain competitive in the
expanding market. It was common for older stations to add one or more service
bays to their existing facilities, creating long, rectangular or L-shaped buildings.
Often the additions mimicked the architectural details of the original station
design in an effort to maintain corporate image. The addition to the Baxter
Springs Independent Oil and Gas Station (940 Military Avenue) illustrates the
care with which these additions were made. The service block added before 1942
mimics the roof shape and Tudor gable treatment of the original cottage station.

Route 66 in Kansas also includes a number of buildings from this era constructed
solely for the purpose of servicing vehicles. These are rectangular block buildings,
often with stone or brick veneer, distinguished by one or more large and prominently
placed overhead doors marking the service bays.

By the end of World War II, the influence of International Style design was
visible in the architecture of auto-related services. The Streamline Moderne
attempted to replicate in buildings the aerodynamic, streamlined designs of
automobiles popular at the time. In the 1930s and 40s, as a symbol of the modern
industrial era and the automobile age, streamlined architecture was chosen with
increasing frequency to express the constantly expanding role of the automobile
in American life. The basic form was the box, often with an enameled or metallic
façade, and a flat roof. Rounded corners and curving entries emphasized
the essence of movement. The curved corner office on the former DX station at
945 Military Avenue in Baxter Springs represents this trend.

Over the next decade, the space age further abstracted the modern form of the
gas station. Flared rooflines and vertical pylons were common devises used by
the larger corporations, such as Phillips Petroleum, to identify their brands
and to display company logos. One example of a space age station with a flared
triangular canopy is extant at the corner of 19th and Military Avenue in Baxter
Springs.

To be eligible for the National Register, a historic filling station or service
station must have been associated with Route 66 between 1926 and 1961 and must
retain integrity of design, materials, workmanship, location, setting, feeling
and association. It is especially important that the setting include a paved
area where vehicles pulled in to refuel, although it is not necessary for the
pumps or pump islands to remain intact. It is common for old service stations
to find new uses that alter some of their original design features, such as
replacing overhead doors with windows. These resources may still be eligible
if they clearly convey their original function and if the changes are reversible.

Lodging
The design of properties that provided lodging changed the most dramatically
during the automobile era. At the start of the 20th century, hotels were concentrated
in urban areas, catering primarily to those traveling by train. Parking facilities
were rarely found in association with a hotel, and when they were they typically
charged an additional fee. However, the independence offered by the automobile
prompted an increase in vacations to destinations not easily accessible by train.
The earliest auto travelers camped along the side of the road or at campgrounds
established by many communities along the main roads entering town.

By the 1920s the novelty of camping had worn thin for most travelers. Property
owners began building small groups of cabins for those desiring slightly more
commodious lodging. Like the campgrounds, the cabin courts were erected next
to gas stations or restaurants, in fields or scenic overlooks, or behind a house,
wherever an enterprising landowner deemed fit. A typical cabin might have a
stove and indoor plumbing. Curtains in the windows and a flower box out front
were nearly ubiquitous in an effort to create a homey appearance and to dispel
notions of illicit rendezvous. By the start of the Depression, one-stop facilities
including cabins, a gas station and a restaurant were common.

A number of cabin courts were constructed in Kansas along Route 66. The eleven
cabins and office at the Sunbeam Tourist Camp in Baxter Junction were arranged
in a rectangle around a central lavatory. The Camp Joy complex, located between
Riverton and Galena, included a filling station in addition to the cabins, all
of which faced the road; and the Baxter Court Cabins on the S-curve south of
Baxter Springs were located across the street from a diner and a filling station.

Over the next decade, the design of the motel began to evolve from the cabin
court. It became increasingly common for rows of individual cabins to be connected,
often linked by covered car ports. Satterlee’s tourist cabins in Baxter Junction
illustrate this arrangement. The single L-shaped building contained six cabins,
each with a carport.

In the decade following the war, the modern one-story motel emerged. As Americans
enjoyed the prosperity of the post-war period, the number of motels nationwide
quadrupled. During this period, the Capistrano Motel was erected at 22nd Street
and Military Avenue in Baxter Springs.

Unfortunately, the majority of lodging facilities constructed along Route 66
in Kansas have been demolished. Only a partial section of Satterlee’s tourist
cabins is extant. Additional elements of the Sunbeam Cabin Court and Camp Joy
may be preserved archaeologically. Because it is an extremely rare resource
and because the remaining portion of the cabins is substantially intact, the
Satterlee’s cabins appear eligible for listing on the National Register. Although
its integrity of design has been weakened by the demolition of approximately
one-third of the structure, the resource retains integrity of materials, workmanship,
location, setting, feeling and association and remains recognizable as a World
War II-era tourist court.

Eating Establishments
The auto traveler needed not only places to sleep but also places to eat. Along
Route 66 in Kansas, travelers could find dining opportunities at the local cafes
in Galena, Riverton and Baxter Springs. These were usually part of the main
street architecture and not distinguished by any auto-related design. An example
of this type of restaurant is Murphey’s Café. Originally housed in a
diner at the S-curve south of town, in 1941 Murphey’s moved to a building at
the southwest corner of 12th and Military in Baxter Springs, a location it occupied
for over 50 years before moving to across the street.

Other smaller diners, luncheonettes and barbecue spots also opened along the
route, catering more specifically to travelers. Many were housed with filling
stations and/or groceries, such as the Williams’ Store in Riverton and the Willow
Street Service Station, both of which served lunches.

By the 1930s, new restaurants were built with off-street parking that catered
to the automobile. These were simple block structures with flat roofs and large
plate glass windows, such as the Luncheonette at 13th Street and Military Avenue
in Baxter Springs. Restaurants constructed after World War II were similar in
design, although they were increasingly sited toward the rear of the lot with
ample parking visible in front.

Local residents also reported that several roadhouses had existed along the
corridor. These were vernacular buildings, often at crossroads, that served
food and beverages. One, now demolished, was located near the Brush Creek curve.
Another was noted outside Galena.

Few register-eligible eating establishments remain along the Route 66 corridor
in Kansas. To be eligible a resource must be associated with Route 66 between
1926 and 1961, and retain sufficient integrity of design, materials, workmanship,
location, setting, feelings and association to communicate its historic function.

Other Commercial Businesses
A few other businesses along this stretch of road catered to Route 66 clientele.
Interviews with local residents noted that there had been several shops and
road side stands that sold mineral specimens from the local mines.

In rural areas like Cherokee County it was not uncommon for one commercial
building to serve a variety of functions. For instance, a general store, like
the Williams’ Store in Riverton, might also have gas pumps and serve lunches.
Usually these multi-function businesses were independently owned by local individuals,
although the gas they sold might be affiliated with a national corporation.
Simple vernacular designs, these buildings were not stylistically distinguished
although they reflected general national trends for small commercial architecture,
such as the rusticated concrete block design of the Willow Street Service Station
in Baxter Junction.

To be eligible for the register, other commercial buildings must demonstrate
an association with Route 66 between 1926 and 1961 and must retain sufficient
integrity of design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association to convey
their historic function. Because few such resources are extant along the corridor,
alterations to the original design may be allowed as long as the features that
define the essential function and design remain intact.

GEOGRAPHICAL DATA

Historic resources associated with Route 66 in Kansas are found along the historic
road alignment in Cherokee County. This alignment passes through the towns of
Baxter Springs, Riverton, and Galena. The existing by-passes were constructed
after the period of significance and do not contain resources significant under
this Multiple Property Submission.

SUMMARY OF IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION METHODS

The Historic Resources of Route 66 in Kansas Multiple Property Submission was
prepared during the fall of 2002 in conjunction with a reconnaissance survey
of the road. The survey, completed by Historic Preservation Services (HPS) during
July 2002, identified over 100 resources fronting Route 66 that date to the
period of significance. In downtown Baxter Springs and Galena the survey also
included commercial resources within one block of the road. The period of significance
for this MPS encompasses the years during which U.S. 66 was the primary interstate
route connecting Chicago to Los Angeles. It begins in 1926 with the designation
of U.S. 66 as a federal highway and ends in 1961, the year Interstate 44 bypassed
the Kansas segment of Route 66.

All of the surveyed resources were photographed and documented on Kansas Historic
Resources Inventory Reconnaissance Forms. HPS used the general contexts and
functional resource categories outlined in the National Park Service Special
Resource Study for Route 66 as the basis for defining contexts and property
types in Kansas. The Kansas contexts reflect the development and construction
of the physical road and the resulting commercial development. The surveyed
resources included public works and commercial buildings. In conjunction with
the building survey, staff from the Kansas State Historical Society also completed
an archaeological reconnaissance survey of the alignment that identified three
archaeological sites with moderate to high potential for the presence of significant
resources. From a list of potentially eligible resources prepared by HPS, HPS
and the Kansas State Historical Society staff selected three resources to nominate
to National Register in conjunction with the Multiple Property Documentation
Form. These resources were the Williams’ Store, Riverton; the Baxter Springs
Independent Oil and Gas Company Station, Baxter Springs; and the Route 66 Historic
District, East of Galena, a section of historic roadway and road structures
near the Missouri state line.

In addition to the NPS study, preparation of the Kansas MPDF also pulled general
contextual information from the MPDF for Route 66 and Associated Historic Resources
in Oklahoma. The internet web site of the Federal Highway Administration provided
a good historical overview of the federal highway system. Information specific
to the history of Route 66 in Kansas was obtained from the archives of the Kansas
State Historical Society, the Galena Museum, the Galena Archival Library, and
the Baxter Springs Heritage Center. HPS also conducted oral histories with members
of the Kansas Historic Route 66 Association, as well as other current residents
and property owners along the route.

All of the material assembled for this project is archived at the Cultural
Resources Division, Kansas State Historical Society in Topeka.

Federal Writers’ Project of the Work Projects Administration. The WPA Guide
to 1930s Kansas. With an Introduction by James R. Shortridge. [n.p.]: Kansas
Department of Education, 1939; reprint, Lawrence, Kansas: University of Kansas
Press, 1984.